The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1887-12-11
THE END OF ITS STRING.
THE NEW WESTERN LINE IN A
PECK OF TROUBLE.

The Engineers Levy on the Property
of the United States Construction
and Improvement Company to Sc
cure Their Salaries-The Contractors
Treated Similarly by Their En-
ployes-A Card from General Mana
ger West.
Some time ago the MORNING NEWS an
nounced the failure of the scheme to build
the Birmingham and Atlantic Airline rail
road and the failure became a matter of
certainty yesterday when all the maps,
plans, profiles and such property belonging
to the United States Construction and I'M
provement Company as could be found,
together with some money in bank, were
attached, the engineer corps being the claim
ants in the case.
Capt r. A. Blandford, who has been the
engineer in charge, was the principal in the
case, and last night he gave brief history
of it. He said that his connection with the
company began last September. In Octo-
Der he needed money for his men and his
department. He wrote to the General Max
ager for it, but received no reply.
He wrote again, with a like result. He
get neither money nor a response He then
wrote to the President of the company, tell
ing him that his men needed clothes and
some of them medicines; that he had writ
ten to the General Manager, but could not
get any money. Capt. Blandford waited
long enough for the President to answer his
letter, but receiving no reply, lie wrote an
other to the same effect. Nothing more was
heard from that.
The correspondence lasted we'll into No
vember, during which time the engineers
received no money. They began to quit
work, and the General Manager was re-
peatedly urged to give them something on
account, but he was deaf to their appeals
Lawsuits were threatened, and Maj. West
promised to pay off on Saturday, Dec. 8.
He went away, however, but told the engi-
neers that he would return on Wednes-
day and pay them. He came back on
Wednesday, but did not pay off. The claims
of the engineers were then placed in the
hands of their attorneys. The amount of
srlaries due up to Dec. l was $500. After
the attorneys got the claims Maj. West
began paying off. Up to Friday night he
had paid the engineers $500. Then he de
posted the remainder of his money in the
Merchants National bank. He went to the
bank yesterday morning to get it and found
that it had been galnisbeed. He then went
to the office of the company and found
constable in charge. Later the
effects of the company were
moved to Magistrate Molina's office
The value of the profiles and plans is hard
to estimate. They cost the company good
sum of money, and they could not be
replaced for double the amount of the
claims, and it is doubtful if some of them
could be replaced at all. The engineers do
not know how much money they caught in
bank, as the officers of the bank refused to
tell them The office of the United States
Construction and Improvement Company is
now closed
The employees of the contractors, Carpen-
ter, Grant, Mundy s. Co., attached their
properties, consisting of mules and nipple
ments necessary for the construction of the
road, for money due them to the amount of
$4,000. The contractors are fully able to
pay all claims against them, but they want
to get something out of the construction
company If they can. The construction
company owes them about 100000, and
they do not want to pay out anything until
they can get something from the construc-
ton company if they can help it.
Maj West was asked last night what the
situation was and he wrote the following
card, which includes all he would say upon
the subject:
MENT COMPANY. OFFICE GENERAL MANAGER,
IS Bay Street.
SAVANNAH, GA, Dec. 10, 1887.
To the People Of alabama aud Georgia: In
justice to the United States Construction and
improvement Company and myself, would
state to you that was engaged Thursday the
Sth inst, and Friday the 9th inst, in paying off
engineers and parties holding claims against the
United States Construction and Improvement
Company.
was paying the claim of a gentleman this
morning when my First Assistant Engineer came
| to inform me that my office was closed by an
| officer of the law
| Desiring to immediately complete the pay
| ment of those engineers about whose claims
there was no dispute, | submitted to-day to the
attorneys of the engineers a written proposition
| TO begin paying Monday or Tuesday morning,
1 and pay as rapidly the accounts could be ad-
justed, upon their giving me a receipt in full for
| each party paid for all his claims"
| The proposition was not accepted This
| should convince any unprecedented mind that
was striving to avert the disaster and at the
| same time endeayoring TO amicably adjust the
| claims, as well as protect myself as General
| Manager
| | am unable to divine what effect this blow
may prove to our building the Savannah, Dublin
| and Western Short Line railroad. 1t may drive
| from Inc those who have pledged me their sup
| port, as well as prevent others from aiding the
| enterprise who doubtless would have done so as
4 the construction of the road progressed
| JoHN A. A. WEST,